SOUTH SHORE INSIDER: Scituate resident leads law firm through changing times

Thursday

Apr 17, 2014 at 1:44 AMApr 17, 2014 at 1:51 AM

Joel Carpenter of Scituate has been named sole managing partner at the international law firm Sullivan & Worcester.

SCITUATE - Today’s law firms are adjusting to a changing industry as clients have become more cost-conscious, requesting full visibility of prices and even cheaper rates for legal work.

Sullivan & Worcester, a 175-person law firm with offices in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., and London, has grown and prospered in this environment, says newly appointed Sole Managing Partner Joel Carpenter of Scituate.

Carpenter, a tax lawyer originally from Cambridge, is a Harvard College, Boston College and Boston University alumnus who says smaller, more personal law firms are far more effective than firms consisting of hundreds and hundreds of associates.

It’s that belief and a strategy of competing in specific legal areas with top-notch associates that has steered S&W to near 100 percent growth and international expansion since 2002, says Carpenter.

You’ve spent your entire legal career at S&W. Is there a specific reason for that?

When I started in 1979 as a paralegal, I was impressed with the firm’s dedication to its clientele, the intellectual rigor and its collegial, positive and supportive work environment. The firm has grown four or five times in size but we haven’t lost that collegial feeling where smart and hard-working people work.

How has your role changed now that you’re the sole managing partner?

I was a co-managing partner beginning in 2002. My partner and I shared the job so that each of us could equally practice law and manage. Now that I’m doing the job myself, I’m not expected to work for clients half the time; it’s just not feasible. But I do try to keep a practice. I’ll probably work a quarter to a third of what a normal lawyer would on client work.

You’re looking forward to expanding the firm’s international capabilities. What are they?

Our London office, which opened six months ago, focuses in trade finance and our director who works there is one of the best in the world. This gives us instant prestige and recognition.

We also have a special relationship with Israel because we represent a lot of companies trying to move to the U.S. A successful Israeli start-up needs customers and capital, and we help them do that. In fact, nine Israeli companies listed on NASDAQ last year and we were responsible for five of those transactions.

How has S&W responded to the current changes in the legal industry?

What we try to do is make the fee arrangement more predictable for the client and a lot of that involves just saying what the job is specifically, and then what it’ll cost. Then there’s at least visibility on what the matter’s going to cost and I think clients find that comforting.

What’s your best advice for someone trying to enter the legal field?

I would give the same advice that I got from someone on the South Shore when I started law school: When you go to law school, nothing is more important than getting the best grades you can possibly get. If you do, you’ll get a job somewhere no matter what the market is like. There’s always room for people who perform at that level.

So if you’re committed to be a lawyer, make sure your commitment is strong enough to do what it takes to be a standout.